Surname Interests Durham

[claretnblue]

Hi Cymerone,

The McCombs family I am researching in Sherburn Hill are:

John McCombs (1823-1870) his wife Mary McCombs (nee GREY) (1831-1884) and their children:

Sarah Ann McCombs (1852-1879)
Joseph Grey McCombs (1855-1918)
William John McCombs (1859-1909)
Mary McCombs (1863-1904)
James McCombs (1866-1938)
Clara Elizabeth McCombs (1868-1891)

John and his family moved from Lurganagoose, Termoneeny, Maghera, Londonderry, Ireland to Sherburn Hill, Durham, England around 1865.

There is also your James McCombs (1819-1903) and his wife Isabella living in Sherburn Hill from at least 1851, who are from Londonderry also.  I have assumed that James (1819-1903) and John (1823-1870) could be either brothers or cousins, but have not been able to find a definite link.  If you could help proving or disproving a link it would be great.

Also John McCombs (1823-1870) father from his marriage cert was a Thomas McCombs, Farmer of Lurganagoose.

Regards,

Claretnblue

[Cymerone]

Hello again Claretnblue,

I wish I could confirm the connection, unfortunately I can't. In this line James and Isabella are my brick walls.

James McCombs (cir 1817-1903) and his wife Isabella McAfee (cir 1818-1873) were already married before they arrived in England. Only once in all the census and BDM records do they put anything other than Ireland as place of birth, and although it was transcribed by the census person as Berry, I would have to agree that it should have been Derry. Their first child was born in Ireland, possibly others as there is a big gap between the 1st and 2nd children that I know about.

Sarah McCombs (cir 1841-?) Emigrated to USA
James McCombs (1849-1907)Emigrated to USA
John McCombs (1852-1895)
Joseph McCombs (1853-1923)
William McCombs (1855-1912) Emmigrated to USA
Isabella McCombs (1857-1857)
Elizabeth McCombs (1861-1934)

I would think that there is probably a connection as family often settled close to other family that moved to a new town/country before them, and McCombs is not that common a surname.

I do have one or two transcriptions of parish records that belong to your line which I purchased from Durham Records online hoping they were "my" McCombs line. I'll pop the info into a PM to you.

Cymerone